Dreams So Fleeting
by the eight horcrux
Summary: 10yrs after DH. Draco Malfoy has stopped beleieving in dreams and magic.Annie had never even known either existed.But only she can set him free from his dark abyss, and only if Draco accept Annie and believe in dreams again could her love be his salvation
1. Chapter 1: After the Ascension

Disclaimer: All characters pertaining to Harry Potter are not my creation (though I wish they were!). The story line and other unfamiliar characters are, I'm proud to say, mine, but only them. Sigh.

**Summary:**

Annabelle had never been a believer of dreams. She never believed that magic existed, or that the strange things that always happen to her are manifestations of her suppressed powers. But then she met Draco Malfoy, whose haunted silver eyes touched her soul, and made her want to believe that fairy tales do exist.

But Draco Malfoy is a prisoner of the past.

Although Lord Voldemort is now irrevocably gone, Draco still carries the scars from the Great War that ended ten years ago. He's trapped in a dark abyss, where light cannot penetrate nor help him.

But maybe, if he let himself hope again, and believe in Dreams, Annie and her love could prove to be his salvation. His only salvation.

**Chapter One**

"Dinner, Nagini," said a high cold voice. The snake slithered menacingly onto the lifeless body spread-eagled on the floor.

Draco closed his eyes in terror, not wanting to see the scene stretched out before him. Slowly he stood up, wanting to get out of the room as quickly as he can. Wanting to get out of the horror of it all. He couldn't even remember why he had ever been compelled to be _here_ in the first place.

"Sit, Draco," said that cold voice again, the voice of Lord Voldemort.

Draco looked at his father, but Lucius' face was inscrutable. Then he looked at his mother, and Narcissa gave him an imperceptible nod.

Draco sat.

The Dark Lord, not missing this insubordination, and angry because of it, smiled cruelly. "And do not close your eyes."

Nagini is right in front of Draco, its thick scaly body wrapped around the woman whose eyes are unseeing. The snake's coiling suffocation of the woman was unnecessary -- Charity Burbage, ex-Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry -- was already dead. Draco swallowed. He was afraid he would vomit in front of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, more afraid still of the Dark Lord's punishment if he did.

However, Voldemort was not yet through tormenting him. With a feral glint in his red eyes, he bade the snake to stop. The snake, angry that its dinner has been interrupted, hissed, but stopped nonetheless. He looked directly at Draco and said, "Dispose of the body."

Draco looked at the dilapidated body of the woman before them all. Her torso was twisted, the limbs almost undistinguishable. Her legs were limp and lifeless. And her head -- her head was nowhere to be seen, ripped from her neck, and gulped down into Nagini's stomach.

There was blood everywhere.

Unable to move his feet, terror gripping his whole body, Draco made the second mistake: he looked at his parents again. Voldemort's eyes narrowed as he watched this arrogance. Lucius' mouth was set in a straight line, his eyes downcast. Narcissa looked at her son with horror in her eyes, her heart beating rapidly at the base of her throat.

With his whole body shaking, Draco moved towards the body, and hesitantly, he raised his wand. Voldemort spoke in an instant, his words were void of emotion, but this just made what he spoke of crueler. "Without magic, Draco," he sneered.

Draco's knees were buckling as he walked slowly to the cadaver, his eyes seeing nothing but the dilapidated, twisted, and wasted body before him. He crouched and took her bloody hands, and then he awoke with a start.


	2. Chapter 2: Annabelle

Disclaimer: All characters pertaining to Harry Potter are not my creation (though I wish they were!). The story line and other unfamiliar characters are, I'm proud to say, mine, but only them. Sigh.

To MikoHatome: thank you for the review! I'll try to update as quickly as I can! XD

Chapter 2 Annabelle

Draco's eyes opened in an instant. At first he thought that he was back in the manor, back to the horror of it all, but the sweat on his face and the feel of a woman's naked body beside him reassured him that it was all a dream.

The same blasted dream.

He sat upright on the bed and cradled his head between his hands. How many times had he had that dream? Too many to count. And how many times had he wished he could just forget it all, forget he ever was a part of that horror? But he had been, and he still is.

The Great War may not have left him any visible scar, but deep inside he was a broken man.

The woman beside him groaned. He looked at her pretty face and naked body, but he felt nothing. He do not even remember her name; she was just another woman that he used to escape his own mind for a few hours.

He felt a grave heaviness in his heart. He could not remember how long it was that he had been living like this. And hated himself for it.

The phone beside his bed rang. "Draco Malfoy speaking."

"Sir, I know you said to not disturb you but---"

"For god's sake Maureen! Just spill it out," he impatiently said.

"Sorry sir. But Miss Evans is here and ---"

"Who?"

The poor Maureen on the other side of the phone stared aghast as she heard her boss's question. He doesn't even know his own fiancée! Not until Draco asked her again in that same impatient tone did she said, "Miss Evans sir. Your fiancée."

Draco almost groaned aloud. Damn! How could he have forgotten? "Tell her I'll be down shortly." He hung up the phone.

Grabbing a pair of jeans and a clean shirt, he hurried out of the penthouse and into the elevator.

What greeted him inside the elevator was perhaps the most peculiar thing that happened to him in ten years.

A young lady sat on the elevator's floor, her arms over her head and her shoulders shaking. She appeared to be distressed. Draco was immediately curious, but not until he heard her hiccup did he ask, "Are you ok, Miss…?"

The lady didn't even look at him but just continued to cry silently. His brows furrowed. What was this woman doing inside his private elevator, at 8 am in the morning, and wearing nothing more than pajamas? "How can I help you?" Realizing what he said, Draco almost laughed in the irony of it. He, Draco Malfoy, mudblood hater, is now offering his help to a complete muggle, and a stranger at that.

He crouched down to the lady, and was in the middle of patting her shoulders when suddenly the lady roared her head and laughed aloud. She was laughing!!! She was laughing so hard that her shoulders were shaking so badly. Dammit, he just offered his sympathy to a complete lunatic. He stood up, and because he was a little embarrassed at his show of concern to a woman who obviously does not need it, his words came out harshly than he intended too. "And what, pray tell, are you doing inside my _private_ elevator ?"

The woman looked directly at him, and Draco caught his breathe. She is the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her eyes were of the deepest blue it was almost violet, and they were laughing at him behind very dark lashes. "I'm so sorry sir," she giggled. It seemed that she cannot help herself. "It was just that I was…_disappearing_!"

He frowned. His first thought that she was a wit---. But no, that's impossible, and he didn't like to think that she was not a muggle, for if she was of his kind, then he could never get to know her better. _Get__ to know her better?_ Now where did that thought came from? He don't even know her name, and he assured himself that he didn't want to. "Well, explain why you are here, trespassing on my property."

Annabelle tried to stop laughing. Truly she did. But it was just so impossible! And explain! Explain what? That she just wished that she was in the most beautiful elevator in America, and here she was, standing before him? Hah! As if he would believe her! "Um…I…um…"

"Are you really this articulate?"

Annabelle took offense at his tone of voice. Being the most handsome of men doesn't give him the right to --- _oh my god!!! _She just realized where she wished herself into, at the penthouse of Draco Malfoy, the man who, according to the Times, is the youngest millionaire in all the world. How could she be so stupid as to land in his private elevator? But, she chided herself, it was not as if she had any control over it.

Draco had an urge to laugh again. The woman was so obvious. Her eyes were bulging and she was looking at him like he was some kind of a superhero. His mouth quirked in amused sarcasm, "Have you finally come to yourself?"

Why, the man was laughing at her! Her face reddened and she had to control the urge to hit him. With her head tilted up, and her nose looking down at him, she mustered with all the sarcasm she could, "Yes, I am, your highness. Sorry if I invaded your privacy. Now if you would excuse me, I would like to get out of your obnoxious present now."

She whirled to the elevator door, but she didn't notice that it was already closed, and her face smacked right into it! "Ouch!" She gasped as she touched her injured nose.

Draco laughed aloud. And with a start, he realized that he hadn't laughed so hard since Harry Potter's dementor-fainting episode.

* * *

A/N: Reviews will be so much appreciated. XD 


	3. Chapter 3: The Wedding Photographer

Disclaimer: All characters pertaining to Harry Potter are not my creation (though I wish they were!). The story line and other unfamiliar characters are, I'm proud to say, mine, but only them. Sigh.

A/N: I'm sorry this is so late but I got caught up in school works…Anyway, please read and review! Enjoy! P.S. Read and review please!

Chapter 3 The Wedding Photographer

Draco Malfoy is the most infuriating man she had ever met! This thought was raging in Annie's thoughts as she stormed out of MGI – Malfoy Group Industries. Arghhhhhhhhh!!!!! The nerve of the man!

Preoccupied as she was, she didn't notice the peculiar stares of the MGI employees following her. They were curious because first, she came out of the president's private elevator wearing only pajamas, and second, wherever she pass, the lights were blinking furiously and the drinking fountains were spouting water as if possessed by some demon. If she knew these was happening, she would rather have died right there and then of humiliation.

How she came to be home was blurry in her mind, she could have taken the taxi or the subway, but she really doesn't remember. A frown crossed her pretty brows as she blamed this on that Malfoy man again. She can only be happy that she won't be seeing that --- that horrid, horrid man! --- again.

Entering her little but cozy apartment, her eyes immediately strayed to the picture of her late mother. Her mother, Lilianne Collins, just passed away three months ago, and the pain Annie went through in that tough stage is still fresh in her mind. Being an only child, there was no one to share the pain of losing her mother. All her relatives were in England, and as she was never really close to them, their sympathies were welcome but not that warming. And her father…well she did not really know who her father was. And frankly, she had no intention of ever knowing him.

She sighed, not that she didn't want to; it's just that she was afraid at what she will discover if she did meet him. And as her life is pretty much full of discoveries lately, God knows she can't take anymore secrets.

Remembering that she had an appointment with a new client, she went to the bathroom immediately, and hurriedly dressed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Sir," Maureen started, "Miss Evans is waiting inside your office."

Draco, his mind still preoccupied with the peculiar woman, nodded and did not reply.

As he entered his office, the first thing that came to mind was that he was in a perfume shop. The scent that is emanating from his office was so flowery he though he will choke from the smell of it. Then as that thought cleared, he remembered that was the perfume of his fiancée, Michelle. Looking at the woman seated before his table, he asked her, "What are you doing here so early, Michelle?"

Michelle raised one perfectly shaped blonde brow at him, "What kind of question is that, Draco dear?" She stood up and walked towards him, her red velvet-clad body swaying provocatively as she walked. She put her arms around his neck, and Draco had to fight the urge to throw up from her suffocating smell. What the hell is the matter with him?

Taking her arms off his neck, he sat down to his chair. As his back was turned away from her, he didn't catch the scathing look she threw him. "Well as you very well know Draco dear, we have an appointment with the photographer today."

"The what?"

"Draco! How could you have forgotten? We're going to meet the photographer for our wedding! You said you approved of her sample pictures." She pouted.

Draco sighed. He knew Michelle, she was a first class bitch and she won't stop nagging him until he succumbed to her wishes. "Ok, Michelle. What time is our appointment?"

Michelle narrowed her green eyes at him. "Actually Draco, we're thirty minutes late for our appointment. What took you so long to get down here anyway?"

As if on cue, a voluptuous brunette came in his office. "Draco," she drawled, "how come you left me in the bed so early?"

Then Maureen trailed behind her, almost hysterical. "I'm so sorry sir. I told her your fiancée is in your office but she didn't listen."

He almost groaned aloud. God save him from blasted marauding women.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Annie looked at her watch. It was 9:30 already. Her clients were an hour late, being as the appointment was at 8:30. Granted, she herself only arrived at 9, but then to be late for an hour is not only unprofessional, it was downright rude!

Just then a vision came towards her. She was a very stunning woman with silvery blonde hair and model like body. She wore a sophisticated red velvet that hugged the length of her body, and high heels that emphasized the length of her legs. Suddenly, Annie became conscious that she was only wearing her custom jeans and white shirt. With her curly black hair and face devoid of make-up, she felt like a high-schooler compared to her. Added to that was the fact that she was only 5 foot tall, and the woman must be at least 5'7" tall.

"Are you Annabelle Collins?" Came the suede voice.

Annie flushed. Tilting her head up, she spoke, "Yes, I am."

The woman sat opposite her. "Michelle Evans. I'm glad you are here."

Annie felt disconcerted. The woman was looking at her like she was not even fit to look at! And she shivered at the coldness of her green graze. She pitied the man besotted enough to marry her.

Michelle was quietly assessing the young lady in front of her. Not more than 25 years old, she assumed, and so naïve. Beautiful, but with the air of a frantic doe about her. Smiling to herself she thought, "Not Draco's type at all." She frowned at the thought of what happened in the office earlier. No man had ever treated her the way Draco did! It was humiliating to learn that everyone knew that _her fiancée _was cuckolding her! Oh, not that she didn't know; a man like Draco Malfoy needs variety and spice, but to know that all the employees knew of his womanizing simply made it unbearable! That would have to stop when they are married. Turning her mind on the photographer seated before her, she asked, "So Ms. Collins, I know that you are not really a wedding photographer. But ever since I saw your landscape pictures, I knew I had to have you as my photographer!"

Annie smiled hesitantly. "I am really flattered Ms. Evans. But I'm afraid I don't follow your logic. I'm a landscape photographer, not even a portrait one, and yet you want me to photograph your wedding. Why is that?" Truth be told, Annie came here just out of curiosity. She didn't really need the money from photographing, her faceless father made sure she had enough money until the day she died.

"You are one of the most talented landscape photographers here in New York, maybe even the whole world." She laughed huskily. Annie had to control the urge to tell her that nothing was funny in that. "Ms. Collins, my wedding would be the talk of the century, the wedding of the millennium, and as such, typically, I want the best, and you are that. You capture the essence of a place, almost as if it has a soul, and believe me, coming from me, that is the highest compliment."

Annie nodded. She ought to be flattered, but the arrogance of the woman is behind comprehension. "I still don't see…"

"Very well, I'll tell you now. My wedding would be in my fiancée's castle in Britain, and of course, the place is just as important as the people in the wedding. So I think that you are the one that will bring out the best of both worlds. Are you up to it?" She challenged.

Annie didn't even think about it. Of course she couldn't say no to a challenge like that! "Thank you for giving me this opportunity Ms. Evans. I truly --- "

What she was about to say was dislodged in her throat as Draco Malfoy sat beside the woman in front of her. Could it be? Oh god no please!

Draco had to stifle his laughter. Luck of all lucks! The elfin beauty he met on his elevator was the photographer! Trying hard to control his amusement, he said, "I am sorry I'm late Michelle. Did I miss anything? I'm afraid I got lost in the elevator."

At hearing his barbed comment, Annie flushed angrily. "I'm sure it was 'coz your head was so heavy that it couldn't lift you up."

Draco roared in laughter. Annie dropped her mouth open, aghast that she really has said those words. Michelle looked at them curiously, "Do you two know each other?"

Draco smiled devilishly. "Not at all my dear, not at all." And he planned to rectify that, immediately.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


	4. Chapter 4: Penrose

Disclaimer: All characters pertaining to Harry Potter are not my creation (though I wish they were!). The story line and other unfamiliar characters are, I'm proud to say, mine, but only them. Sigh.

A/N: I really don't know how many hours it takes to get from New York to Northumberland, England, so I'm sorry for the inaccuracy; I just made the time difference up. P.S. Read and review please!

Chapter 4 Penrose

Annie was exhausted from the 18 hour flight from New York to London, then the 30 minutes flight from London to Northumberland where the Malfoy Castle was waiting for her.

It had been a week since that fateful meeting, and she is happy to say that no more unwanted encounter with Draco Malfoy had taken place. After that last one in the restaurant, she sincerely hoped that she never meet the man again. What was it about him that makes her terribly defensive anyway?

But as she gazed at the castle before her, all her thoughts about exhaustion and Draco fled. Just looking at it is worth the price of her tiredness, and made it almost worth it to work for Ms. Evans and Mr. Malfoy.

It was the most beautiful castle she had ever seen. It has fifteen towers, and all of them are weaving the Malfoy insignia, an emerald green cloth that bears an intricate silver M. The castle itself was gigantic, its color a shade between black and white --- not quite gray but not quite silver either. It has neither moat nor a drawbridge but was surrounded by a lush flowery garden whose landscaping she was sure amounted to more than a million euros. The pathway to its oaken grand doors was lined by magnificent centuries-old oak trees.

The Penrose, as it was called, was majestic and every inch worthy of being dubbed the ultimate Malfoy Castle getaway.

Her dark blue eyes clouded when she remembered the scathing words of Michelle Evans to her, "Penrose is such a beautiful place that many ladies have given their bodies just for a night in its magical environs, of course, with the master receiving the present."

Annie flushed angrily. Did that woman think her so low as too consort with Draco just for spending the night here at Penrose? Or was that insult a veiled threat? Does Michelle consider her to be a threat in her and Draco's relationship? But how come? She can't even begin compare with her! Michelle was meant for Draco, and she, well she's demented! She hated - no hate is such a strong word - and she doesn't feel anything as strong as that with Draco. She just doesn't like him, period.

But then, she remembered the concern in his voice in the elevator when he thought she was lost. The man certainly was capable of kindness, but it is second only to his arrogance. She hoped she would never meet him again, for he arouses a peculiar feeling within her, something that she hasn't felt since…well since.

Unfortunately for Annie, her hope was to be denied, for up in the master chamber, a glittering pair of silvery eyes was silently watching her delicate form entering the castle from within veiled windows.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I gather you slept well Madame," greeted an authorative voice with a slight French accent the moment Annie came down on the grand staircase.

Annie looked at the butler named James, and flinched as she saw the censure in the old man's rheumatic eyes. "Yes, thank you very much, James." She decided against explaining, but thought that it would be nice to have a friend in this secluded part of England. "I'm sorry if I slept late, but I was just reacting to the jet lag, it won't happen again." She beamed at him.

It was not her lateness that was the problem with James, he just doesn't approve of the Americans. "It is of no business of mine what you do with your time, Madame."

She blushed. Then before her spunk left her, she said, "Are you really this welcoming? Or is it just the weather?" As the weather was sunny and gay, it is most assuredly not the weather. Before the man had the chance to get out of his shock, she half walked and half run towards the gardens.

Draco, hearing the exchange chuckled lightly. "I'm afraid you can't bully her, James."

The unrepentant butler sighed. "One can but try."

Draco chuckled again. "Give her half a chance, James. She's not as bad as the other Americans." He doesn't know why James couldn't tolerate the Americans, and he certainly hasn't the courage to ask the old butler.

James seemed to ponder that a little then asked, "Is she as bad as Ms. Evans., sir?"

Draco quirked his brows. James had never approved of Michelle. "She is but a babe compared to my fiancé, James."

"In that case, I will try not to bully her over much." With that statement, he headed for the kitchens.

Draco just eyed him amusedly. Sometimes, he was not clear on who the master and the servant was.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Oh this is such a magnificent garden!" Annie exclaimed. "I have never seen anything like this!"

"I'm glad you think so, Miss." A voice said behind her.

"But it's true!" She beamed happily at the middle aged man. "The flowers here are just gorgeous! Gorgeous I tell you! And the trees…why, the trees are magnificent!"

He chuckled appreciatively. "I'm glad you have the eyes for beauty Miss. No one here seemed to notice. And I thank you for your kind words." Holding out his hand, he said. "I am Rufus, the head gardener."

Annie took the proffered hand. "And I am Annie, the photographer. Tell me Rufus, what lies behind those trees?"

"It's just a dense forest, Miss. But on the middle is a clearing, and on the clearing is a waterfall."

Her eyes sparkled at the news. "Is the waterfall still part of the Malfoy lands?"

He nodded. "Everything that your eyes can see is within the Malfoy lands."

"So is it ok if I go there?" Her excitement was palpable.

Rufus frowned a little. "Well I would suggest that you not go there alone, seeing as you are not familiar with it."

"Oh but who can possibly join me?" Her eyes got larger, and the deep blue pools, along with her incessant chatter, are enough to win over the head gardener.

"Well...I suppose I can draw you a map…"

"Oh thank you very much!" She hugged Rufus, and when he had finished the map, she went away to discover the magic that is surrounding Penrose.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Draco watched the amusing exchange between Rufus and Annie. He was somewhat disconcerted to know that Annie has only sharp barbs for him and sweetness for everyone else. But then, he conceded, he's not exactly acting the gentleman around her.

He called for Rufus, and when the man was in front of him, he couldn't resist saying, "She got to you too, huh?"

Rufus actually blushed! "She's easy to like, _that one_."

Draco ignored the veiled barb on Michelle. "And where has our little rose got into now?"

"She wanted to go to the falls so I gave her the directions."

"What!" His simple pronouncement was greeted by a roar from Draco. "You let her go there in the forest by herself! What were you thinking?"

Rufus was surprised. He had never seen the master so angry. He wanted to apologize and say that the falls was not that far, but Draco is already striding towards the forest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


	5. Chapter 5: A Shared Passion

Disclaimer: All characters pertaining to Harry Potter are not my creation (though I wish they were!). The story line and other unfamiliar characters are, I'm proud to say, mine, but only them. Sigh.

Chapter 5 A Shared Passion

How absolutely wonderful! Annie thought as she gazed around her. The waterfall was right in the middle of the clearing, and it was surrounded by a grassy meadow with lots of wild flowers. It was a scene out of a postcard.

As she continued to gaze at her surroundings, Annie got a crazy, uninhibited idea. She doesn't usually do this (well she had never done what she's thinking to do!) but there's always a first time for everything. She took off her clothes one by one, starting from her jeans down to her pink blouse. When at last she was just covered by her lacy white bra and panties, she stepped into the water, testing its coldness first. The water was just right! It was cool but the coolness was soothing, especially to her frayed nerves. For a while, thoughts of Draco Malfoy were obliterated out of her mind.

"Hmm….," Annie said as she languorously floated above the water. It was the first time in many months that she had felt so relaxed, so free. The cancer that took her mother's life also burdened her with months of tiredness, loneliness, and much needed relaxation. Not that she's complaining, if a lifetime of fatigue and exhaustion will make her mother live, she would willingly make that sacrifice. Only, it won't be a sacrifice at all, for there is no one that she loved more than her mother. Lilianne Collins was the best mother anyone could ever wish for. Lilianne had single handedly brought her up without the help of relatives and a husband, but she did it extremely well. Annie sometimes felt that she did not deserve her. She sighed again. If there was one thing that she wanted with all her heart, it was too see her mother again. But she knew it won't be, and it isn't like her to dwell on things that simply can't happen.

But then, it is hard to let go of the only person who had ever loved you.

Annie's life right now is…well she wouldn't call it a mess. But she has no direction, no plans for the future. And she wanted to change that. She wanted to be her own woman now, she wanted to be a woman that her mother could be proud of, wanted to…she wanted to just sleep and relax…

Ha! If that was what she wanted, why then did she got herself into this situation? Admittedly, when she first took this assignment, she had no idea that it would be Draco Malfoy's wedding that she would be photographing. And now that she knew she couldn't stand that incorrigible man and his snob of a fiancé, why then did she still take the assignment when she knew she didn't need the money for it?

"Because Maureen Evans challenged me and my pride couldn't refuse that!" She answered loudly answered herself. But one part of her brain, the one that she had no control over, whispered, "Or was it because you were so intrigue by Draco Malfoy that you couldn't resist getting to know him better?"

Red color stained her cheeks. Me? Intrigue with that dog? Never!

Just then, as if a consequence to that thought, she heard a strange little bark. Thinking that it was just her senses playing games with her, she ignored it. But the bark got louder and at the same time, if such a thing were possible, fainter. She quickly got out of the water and looked around. There, near the banks of the falls, was a puppy lying helplessly. From what she knew about dogs (and it was not that extensive), it was a 2 month old golden retriever. It was scarred and its hair was dilapidated in some areas. "Oh you poor, poor thing…What happened to you?"

Meanwhile, Draco was losing his patience. It had been almost thirty minutes since he had started looking for Annie, and still no sign of her! Could it be that she had gotten herself lost? Or that she had found her way to the waterfall after all? As if that thought conjured her, he heard her voice.

"You think you're a man now, huh? Well you just wait until I get my hands on you….," came her sensuous voice. Then someone moaned. "Oh you are so sweet!!! Mmmmm…."

Draco's patience snapped in two. Here he was, out of his mind in thinking that she was lost, and there she was, safe and sound, seducing some blasted man!

He heard Annie spoke again, "Oh not there!" Then she laughed. "Please, please not there! I'm ticklish there!"

Her laughter was like the salt in the wound. He sprinted towards her furiously, ready to let her and the man she was with have a piece of his mind, when the sight that greeted him literally took all conscious thought. "What the ---!"

He had just stepped into a fairytale. Annie was lying on the grass, surrounded by flowers, her hair a cluster of damp curls around her delicate face, and her eyes were a sparkling midnight blue that threatened to take his breath away. She was wearing a smile that turned him inside out, and the expression in her blue, blue eyes was enough to make him tremble. To complete the picture of innocence that she painted, there was a puppy that was licking her all over. Draco let out a barely audible groan. _She was half naked! _He gulped. What is happening to him? His body is reacting to her like a barely grown-up school boy! Just seeing her and he was half aroused already. "What do you think you're doing?" His voice was unfamiliar even to his own ears. It sounded strange, like he was hoarse or something.

Annie, noticing for the first time that she was not alone, gave a yelp of surprise. "Draco! I didn't know you were there." All her thoughts focused on the puppy that came out of nowhere, she stood up, forgetting that she was only clad in her lacy undies. "Look what I found! Isn't he adorable?" She pertained to the golden retriever now impatient to get out of her arms.

Draco never remembered how long it was since he was this aroused. Her body was bared to him in all its wet glory. She has small breasts that were currently straining to get out of her lacy white bra, a waist that he could span with his two big hands, and deliciously shaped legs. Stifling a groan, his silver eyes glazing over, he muttered, "Certainly." He took her hands, and the puppy was finally free of her straining hands. It ran circles around them. "But you my darling Annie," he kissed the inside of her wrist, "are infinitely more beautiful."

"Draco…," lost in the sensation of his lips on her wrist, Annie closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was eye to eye to the clearest silver gaze she had ever seen. He swooped down on her, his arms encircling her, branding her. His lips touched hers and for a moment, Annie thought that she had died. But the firmness of his mouth against her own was testament of her own existence. His kisses were undemanding at first, and Annie relaxed against him. But then as she responded, he became more demanding. His tongue was entreating entrance to her mouth, and like a person drugged, she eagerly opened for him. His tongue devoured her, tasted her, drank in her. He kissed her teeth, her tongue, her very essence that she thought she would drown. She was the flame and he, the wind igniting her to burn. For him.

Draco was lost in the exquisite feeling that threatens to burn him. His mind was screaming: Annie…Annie… he couldn't get enough of her! Her taste was drugging, she was addicting, like a forbidden passion, forbidden but deliciously sensuous. He had never felt anything like this, never felt this intensity of emotions just from kissing any girl. But this was not any girl. She was Annie.

While his tongue plundered her mouth, his hands had a mind of their own. He cupped her breasts, and weighed them in his hands. They were perfect! "Annie…," he groaned.

Suddenly, Annie came out of her trance. "Draco, no Draco, stop it!" She squirmed for him to let her go. The puppy, feeling that its mistress was threatened, growled at Draco. Draco also came out of his stupor. "Annie?" He raised questioning gray eyes on her, his breathing was still shallow, evidence of the passion they had just shared.

"Look I --- I didn't mean for this to happen ---but…you're a good kisser and---," Annie began but Draco cut her off.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it." His tone was daring her to say otherwise.

"I won't deny that I enjoyed it but ---"

"But I'm just good at kissing, eh? And now that you have satisfied your curiosity about me, then goodbye Draco? Is that it, huh Annie?"

"You know that's not true!"

"Then what the hell is your problem! One minute you were so eager in my arms, and the other you can't wait to get out of it!" He was so furious he was shouting.

"How dare you to be angry at me! You have no right!"

"I have every right! You are in my land!"

"Ha! And that gives you the right to just kiss then shout at the person you've been kissing?"

"But that's just it woman! I don't know why the hell you stopped us!"

Why! The man is really dense, Annie thought. "Because you're getting married!!!"

That statement brought confusion in Draco's eyes, then realization dawned. Right, he is getting married. And he had no business, even though he desperately wanted to, to seduce innocent Annie in his bed. It would be another matter if the woman was someone like Michelle herself, but Annie was…she was different. But try as he might, he can't even conjure a picture of Michelle, and he had just seen her the day after yesterday. But only Annie filled his mind, Annie and her innocent blue eyes… "I'm sorry, Annie. This won't happen again."

Annie hid her surprise. She didn't expect Draco to apologize, and she was a little embarrassed that she was disappointed that he promised it won't happen again. Avoiding his gaze, she run for her clothes and hurriedly dressed, all the time conscious of his eyes following her. The puppy was at her heels too.

"It seemed that you have gained a friend on that pup." Draco, wanting to erase the tension between them, half jokingly commented.

He succeeded.

"Oh yes!" Annie bobbed her head in agreement. "But…oh Draco, can I keep him? Please?" Her face was a study in coercion, and Draco had to suppress his laughter at the charming picture she made. "But he's not mine to give, Annie."

"Oh…" Her face fell.

He wanted to curse himself for teasing her. "That doesn't mean that you can't have him."

"But you just said that he's not yours!"

"Everything on this land is mine, Annie," he said with a teasing grin.

Annie's heart went overdrive. _Oh gosh, he's so handsome when he smiles._

Draco laughed aloud. "Thank you, Annie."

She blushed! Drat it! She didn't mean to say it aloud!!! "Um….so can I keep him, then?"

He shrugged. "I can't say why not. As long as no one will be looking for him, then he's yours."

"Oh thank you, Draco!" She hugged him.

_Oh, blessed heaven,_ Draco thought. He cleared his throat. Annie blushed again, then let go of him. "What shall you name him?" He asked.

"Oh, I don't know." She smiled at him. "I think, seeing as I found him in your land, _we _should name him." Then she beamed.

An unfamiliar constriction rose in Draco's throat as she said the word_ we_. How very long it was since he last heard that. "But I gave it to you, and it's only right that you name him."

"Hmm…I know!!! I'll call him Harry!"

Draco was speechless. Then he roared laughingly. Harry!

Annie was confused. "Well…since he is hairy, I thought that Harry will be a nice name. Why are you laughing so hard, Draco?"

"Nothing, Annie, nothing." With a smile still on his lips, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

In the span of time he was with her, she was the only one that made him thought of the Wizarding world that he had left behind, that he actually found funny.

He was beginning to think how very priceless she was.


End file.
